Just a typical Nebraska December day. Not even 18 months ago but feels like a lifetime ago - time has been a funny thing since covid started making its mark. In the midst of the typical weekend routine of running errands, cleaning up the apartment, and counting down the days until Christmas, I check my phone and see a text from a Phil Baumberger asking for a good time to call to talk. A bit of an odd request, but at the same time, not really that odd the more I thought about it. This was coming from the guy who'd forsaken his smart phone for a retro flip phone to simplify his life and remove unnecessary distractions. And hey, flip phones aren't known for their easy ability to text, and Phil wasn't known for being attentive to text messages or for quick responses. More often than not, a text would need to be followed up with a call if you really wanted an answer from him. I wasn't in a hurry to call him back.

But when I finally did, the conversation quickly had me sitting on the end of my bed, paying full attention. He let me know that he had various appointments and tests over the last few months of 2019, which resulted in a diagnosis of stage four T-cell Lymphoma. He had moved back to his childhood home in Indianapolis to live with his dad while immediately beginning treatment. My Google search quickly filled up with new searches after the call ended. "What is lymphoma?" "Stage 4 t-cell lymphoma prognosis" "Lymphoma treatments"

After 15 minutes of research, my initial concern was mostly at ease. The prognosis had glimpses of optimism. Survival rate seemed respectable, compared to other forms of cancer (my mind using the pancreatic cancer that claimed my grandmother after three months as a benchmark). Phil hadn't given too many details but had mentioned that he had a fairly unique type, which made me a little nervous. But still, this was a 24-year-old, mostly healthy male, in the prime of life, who, barely 6 months prior, had spent four weeks hiking in the Alps, watching soccer in Italy, and sitting on beaches in Croatia that were way too rocky and cold. He's a tough guy physically and mentally.

He should be good.

Sunrise to sunset, hiking up and down the hilly western Italian coastline to visit the five towns at Cinque Terre. One of the most active days on our group's post-graduation Europe trip. Beautiful weather. Beautiful sights. Disappointingly chilly water. A collection of small rocks quietly growing in Phil's backpack as the day wore on, unbeknownst to Phil.